The Washington State Military Department (WSMD) has created a simple one-year guide—Prepare in a Year—to help people tackle one task per month. We will follow it here to help you prepare in one category every thirty days so that you will make progress monthly and feel ready by the end of the year. If you are preparing your family, make sure your family members know what to do as well. If you are preparing your business, make sure your colleagues or employees are up to date.

Our task for November is to Shelter in Place.

Sheltering in place is not something we have much reason to do in western Washington. But when we do, it is of utmost importance to do it right. Almost always, the occasion will be a chemical, biological, or radiological event.

This is when leaving is more dangerous than staying put, but it’s not good enough simply to get inside. You must also have a predetermined safe room where you can stay closed in for several hours.

Try to pick a room without too many windows that has an adjacent bathroom.

Preparing a Safe Room

Prepare your safe room in advance by cuting plastic to fit the windows in the room (and bathroom), vents, outlets, and doors. Mark each piece with a way to identify each item it will cover.

Safe Room Supplies

Place the cut plastic and the following supplies in a box:

• tape

• a battery-powered radio

• some water and snacks

• a few towels/blankets

Shelter in Place Initial Procedures

When the call goes out to shelter in place, do the following as quickly as possble:

• get everyone (including pets) indoors,

• lock all doors and windows,

• turn off all fans or any other machines that circulate air from the outside,

• turn off furnaces and air conditioners,

• close your wood stove flu or damper,

• grab your safe room box, and

• retire to your safe room.

Shelter in Place Safe-Room Procedures

Once everyone is in the safe room, do the following:

• Quickly fit the plastic sheets over the appropriate windows and seal them with tape.

• Block gaps under doors with damp towels.

• Unplug all electrical appliances and tape plastic over the outlets.

• Put plastic over ceiling or floor vents and fans.

• Seal doors with plastic.

• Turn on your radio so you can listen for the all clear. You will get Nixle notifications over your phone if you have signed up (Text 98110 to 888777).

Post-Emergency Instructions

Once the emergency is over, open all your doors and windows to air out your home.

Remember that, in the event of a shelter-in-place emergency, it is not safe to try to reunite with family members who are elsewhere, like at work or at school. When the call goes out from officials to shelter in place, stay where you are. Family members not at home will stay where they are, sheltering in place.